Press



2 Sheets-Sheet l f. mw/M SJW M@ d @ma Oct. 13, 1931. s. J. LocKE ET AL PRESS Filed NOV. 5, 1928 I L J //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////1 Oct. 13, 1931. s. J. LocKE ET ALv 41,827,153

UNITED. STA

Patented Oct. 13, 1931 y TES vTNT OFFICE SANFORD JAY LOCKE A N' D FLOYD .RAY VJEBSTER, 0F SYRAOUSE?, NEW YORK. ASSIGNORS TO UNITED STATES HOFFMAN I'ACI-INERY CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,

A CORIORATION OFDELAWARE :PRESS Application filed November 5, 1928. j Serial No. 317,422.

' This invention vrelates to garment presses and particularly the toggle mechanismused to actuate such presses.

Prior' to the present invention it has been proposed tok use a main togglewhich reacted between the frame and the head-carrying lever in conjunction with a secondary toggle which commonly reacted between the frame and the primary toggle and which operated to straighten and break the primary toggle.

In a structure of this character one element of the primary toggle was commonly rendered adjustable as to its effective length.

The present invention departs from the practice of the prior art in that the primary toggle is not adjustable and is so Adimensioned that it is never straightened in the pressing operation. The secondary toggle is arranged, however, to straighten :at the moment of maximum pressure and is made.

manually adjustable as to its effective length so thatthe degree of maximum pressure is.

variable by an( adjustment Iof the secondary toggle. 'This follows from kthe fact that adjustment of the secondary toggle varies the degree of straightening of the primaryV toggle. l

There are definite advantages in this arrangement. In the first place no latch for the treadle which operates the secondary toggle is necessary. In the second place a considerable range of adjustment of maximum pres-,

Y sure can be secured. vThis follows from the factthat the primary toggle nearly but not quite straightens and consequently a wide range of pressure variation can be secured by a relatively limited adjustment of the effective. length of the secondaryA toggle.

The term effective length of thesecondary toggle is used in a generic sense,fo'r while the drawings illustrate an embodiment in whichthe length of'one of the toggle links isA varied, it is a fact Well known'to those skilled in the art that the same result can be secured by varying the length of either link or by shiftingthe point of attachment of either link to the frame or lever against which itreacts. Exceptas specified in the claims, limitation to the particular arrangement chosen for illustration is not contemplated.

. The preferred embodiment of the invention as applied to a lever press is illustratedy in the accompanying drawings in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a garment pressy having the invention applied, certain parts of the frame being sectioned to show the construction. The parts are shown in the position assumed when the press is closed and under pressure. f

Figure 2 is an enlarged elevation partly in section showing the secondary toggle mechanism and the adjusting means therefor.

Figure 3 is a plan view of theparts shown in Figure-2 with portions of the 'machine frame in section.

Figure 4 is a section on the line IV-IV of Figure 2.

The base frame of the press is indicated 'at 6 and has at its rear van upward eXtenf sustains a buck 11 of conventional form. Co-

iii

acting with. the buck 11'is a pressing head 12 which is supported on the head lever 13. This head lever is counterweighted at 14 and is pivoted at 15 on the upward extension? of the base 6.

.A handle by means of which the operator may draw the head 12 down against the buck 11 is illustrated at 16.

Steam valves andr all accessory apparatus for the head and buck are omitted.

A spring 17 reacting between the lever 13 and the base plate of the frame 6, serves to urge the press in an opening direction.

All the parts so far described are of 'ordiv nary construction. No novelty is claimed. for 'them and they are subject to wide variation. In fact the invention is not limited in its utility even to lever presses.

y Pivoted at 18 o-n the lever 13 and at'19 on the base frame A6 is lthe primary toggle made up of a long lowerlink 21 and a shorter upper link 22 hinged to each other at 23. This primary toggle conforms to prior prac- Y tice except that no means need be provided to adjust its effective length and that its effective length is such that the maximum closing pressure between the head 12 and buck ll is exerted before the primary toggle reaches its straightened position.

Pinned to link 2l of the primary toggle at 24 and pivoted on the frame (i at 25 is a secondary toggle made up of two links pivoted together' at 26. rlhe rear link 27 in the example illustrated is non-adjustable. The front link is adjustable and comprises a portion 28 pivoted at 25, as above described, and a companion portion 29 pivoted to the link 27 at 26. rlhe portion 28 carries an offset sleeve 3l. The sleeve 3l and the portion 29 are reversely threaded to form with a reversely threaded rod 32 a sort of turnbuckle.

The rod 32 has an extension 33 which projects through a slot 34 formed in a portion of the base frame 6 and Lerminates in a hand wheel 35 by means of which the rod 32 may be 'turned to vary the length of the link 2S, that is the distance between the airis of the pivots 25 and 26. When the adjustment has once been made the parts are locked by a check-nut 3G. Various equivalent ways of adjusting the length of the link 28, 29 might be adopted but the one shown is preferred becanse it is strong and simple and because in presses of ordinary design the hand wheel is at the .front of the press and readily accessible. It must be understood, however, that the purpose of the adjustment is primarily to adjust the effective length of the secondary toggle. This another way of saying that the adjust ment determines theposition of the axis of the pivot when the secondary toggle is aightened and it is within the broad scope of the invention to effect this adjustment in other ways than the oneA specifically illusrated.

The primary toggle is constantly. urged in a press opening direction by a coil tension spring 37 which reacts between a stud l0 on the link 2l and a portion of the frame 6. The secondary toggle may be straightened by depressing a pedal 38 which is mounted at the forward end of a lever 39. rflic lever 89 is pivoted at lll on the base frame 6 and is connected to the toggle link 28 by links 4t2. These are pivoted to the lever 89 at 43 and to the link 28 at all. The toggle may be opened by lifting the foot piece 38 either directly or by means of a kick-off treadle which is of well known form and not being a feature of trated.

The operation of the press will be readily understood but it should be observed that the construction is such that the hand wheel 35 is immediately above the pedal 38 so that the adjustment may be conveniently effected and the present invention is not illusresalte its effect noted from the operators station at the front of the press. The arrangement is simple and the use of an adjustable secondary toggle which does straighten in combination with a primary toggle which does not straighten in the operation of the device gives a wide range of pressure adjustment, avoids 'the necessity for any latch to hold the pedal 38 down and produces a press which has a smooth gradual opening movement.

lllhat is claimed is:

l. ln a press, the combination of a support; a buck mounted thereon; a head adapted to cooperate with the buck; a member movably mounted on the support and arranged to support and guide the head in movements toward and from the buck; a toggle connected to react between said member and support and so dimensioned that the toggle approaches but does not reach a straightened position when the head exerts its maximum pressure against the buck; a second toggle arranged to actuate the first toggle; means for adjusting the second toggle, said means extending forwardly of the toggle in a position where'it may be readily adjusted by the operator; and means for straightening the second toggle.

2. ln a garment press the combina-tion of a. main frame; a buck mounted thereon; a lever pivoted intermediate its ends upon the upper portion of the frame; ahead carried at that end of the lever which extends above the buck; a toggle interposed between the rear end of the head-carrying lever and a. fixed portion of the main frame; a second toggle interposed between said toggle and a fixed portion of the main frame, said second toggle consisting of a pair of links, one of said links being` pivotally connected to an element of the first named toggle, and the second link consisting of two members, one member being pivotally connected to the adjacent end of the other link and having its other end internally threaded, a second member pivoted to a fixed portion of the main frame, said second member being formed with an offset, internally threaded portion, the threads whereof are the reverse of those in the other member;y and a threaded rod engaging said threaded portions and extending forwardly of the toggle to the front of' the machine where it may be readily adjusted by the operator to vary the effective length of said second member and consequently the effective length of the second toggle; and means for actuating said second toggle.

ln testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification.

FLOYD RAY l/VEBSTER. SANFORD JAY LOCKE. 

